Superstition

This is very interesting. I know this is November first, however, I want to write one more blog in the spirit of Halloween. I specifically searched for Halloween news, and found this article at NationalGeographic.com, which by the way has many very interesting articles regarding some other Halloween-ish things, like a ghostshark and a Dracula fish.

The discovery of this 17th century witch bottle is really pretty cool. According to the article, these bottles were intended to ward of evil spirits and curses. They usually contained the fingernails, hair, nail clippings or even urine of the person who was in need of this talisman. Then the bottle would be buried near the home or a building frequented by the person needing the protection of the witch bottle.

These witch bottles were used much in the same way some one in our day and age would use a horseshoe placed above a doorway. It is simply superstition, and superstition is a big part of Halloween.

I have heard that is bad luck if a black cat crosses your path, or if you walk under a ladder. If it rains on your wedding day, it supposedly means that your marriage will be miserable. Wait a minute! It rained on my wedding day, and the next 18 years of my life were miserable, maybe there is something to that one! No, I am just kidding. I am not a superstitious person. (I mean, yes what I said about the 18 years of my marriage being miserable and the rain, that is true, but come on – weather being an omen of how my life will be – I just don’t think so.)

There is also the seven years bad luck if you break a mirror. I have heard that instead of seven years, that the years coincide with the number of pieces it breaks into. But I have broke a mirror or two in my life, and nothing changed.

I do believe however, that if you say something out loud, that you believe to be true – if you want it to continue to be true, you should “knock on wood” as the old timers say. I only say this because many years ago, when I lived in Georgia, I was bragging. Bragging about my driving skills, and how I had not been stopped for any reason or received any kind of traffic ticket since the age of 16. I did not knock on wood. The very next morning, pulled out of my driveway (in front of a police officer, unbeknownst to me!) and proceeded to do approximate 55 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone. Um…I got a ticket. The officer was very unhappy with me.

That little story right there has brought my husband to tears many a time. (Laughing at me, that is!) Since that day, I have never bragged about my driving skills without knocking on wood, and have yet to receive another ticket. Knock on Wood. I do get pulled over quite a bit, because of my lead foot, but I remain ticket-less since the instance above which was over 10 years ago.